Recently released numbers for the Ridgecrest Ridgerunner transit system during its first month of operation reveal an overall slip when compared to its predecessor system.

The number of passengers for the city’s three bus lines averaged out to about 59 riders per day between Oct. 22 and Nov. 19, according to information obtained from the city’s transit services office.

“Comparing the numbers from Oct 1-2, we found that we are running about 5-6 passengers less than before converting to the fixed routes,” stated an email forwarded from the City Clerk’s office.

Ridgecrest made the switch to a fixed route system on Oct. 22 after years of utilizing a dial-a-ride system.

The system has three routes that run from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The new system was funded in part by grants from Proposition 1B money and matching grants through the Transportation Development Act.

The old dial-a-ride system operated on a mostly 12-hour day, and was based on customer requests.

The city replaced its old method of transportation in response to what it considered a rising demand for a fixed-route system. While the system has designated lines, buses will deviate to pick up people classified as-needed (seniors or people with disabilities) within a 3/4-mile radius of most stops.

Some initial criticism over the system has emerged regarding accessibility to and from the city’s senior center, but a solution is being hammered out.

The solution, worked out through a meeting between interim City Manager Dennis Speer and Councilwoman-elect Lori Acton, included establishing a stop in front of the Senior Center’s parking entrance, as well eventually reactivating a bus partially owned by the senior center.